St. Anthony’s Triathlon
The St. Anthony’s triathlon was the first race of the year. A kick-off event at the Olympic distance to prepare me for the 70.3
half-ironman in Orlando two weeks later. All training and preparation for the event showed positive signs and no reason not to win the age group. I was ready and feeling pretty good. The BodPod test concluded my weight to be 148lbs, with 2.9% body fat. I lost 11lbs of fat, gained muscle and ultimately was getting into some pretty good racing shape for the season to start. The night before, I made sure to take in plenty of fuel. Considering the feedback on my weight and body fat percentage, I wasn’t messing around. I made some pasta and tuna and assured myself plenty of fuel for the day’s event.
Swim:
The swim course was changed due to the strong winds coming in from the east. They shortened it to 1,000 meters and made the run in T1 at least a quarter mile. It was long but no complaints here, I enjoy the running. The swim went pretty well. I was able to get behind a few swimmers going out and we paced along the beach heading into shore where I found myself with a pack of others. I didn’t feel I lost significant time on the swim and was in position to get on the bike and make up some good time. The water felt pretty nice, I felt I stronger in the water this year, and I think this is a discipline that is improving and over time will only become a strength and nice warm-up into the full ironman distance event.
Bike:
I hit the pedals right of way coming out of T1 and started getting in some fluids. There were some decent winds but with the distance so short, you can red line and spend the effort throughout the entire bike. A pretty technical course, left the straight-aways for high speeds. I was pretty happy with it and felt good throughout. I took nutrition (GU) at miles 10 and 19. I did this in order to have enough for the run, not necessarily because I was feeling tired or needed energy. It was more a proactive approach. Getting off the bike, I had passed may cyclist and looking in T2 there were very little bike if any on the racks. I followed one age grouper into transition and I knew it was him and I for the title. Before I knew it, my race would halt in an instant.
Run:
Coming out of T2 my stomach was feeling the way I expected. Mentally I was tuned in, my legs were turning over, but my stomach was cramping on both sides and it was hurting like I had never felt before. I had no idea what was going on and was becoming more and upset with the events. Did I go to fast on the swim and bike? Did I eat too much or not enough? What was the reasoning for this….I ran a first mile in 6:14 hunched over and feeling like someone had gutted me right in my stomach. I was able to keep the pace and by mile 2, yes mile 2, I was walking. I recall an older gentleman was half running and half limping come up from behind and say “you are too young to be walking boy, let’s go – get running” and we started jogging together. I felt miserable and tried forcing myself to throw up and alleviate any pain in my stomach – that was unsuccessful. I eventually started jogging and did a 10min+ mile and as we made the turn back into town, I felt a little better. If I picked up too much speed the cramps would come back, so at this point I was looking to jog in, not hurt myself and enjoy the rest of the event. I had been passed by at least 15 other age groupers in my division. Again, not how I envisioned it going, but these are the lessons learned an amateur like me need to learn the hard way to have future success. For the first time in my triathlon career, I finished out of the top 10 in my age group…a feeling that does not meet RTL standards and one that I deem to avenge and not experience ever again in my career.
It turns out after speaking to my nutritionist, Steve Smith at IMG Academies; I had taken on a bad form of GI overload. This is where the body is unable to process the saturated fluid and without any water to dilute the intake my stomach had trouble processing all the sugar. I had taken almost 100g of sugar in 1hr time period and no water to compliment the nutrition. Having some closure to this event and upon reflection, this truly was a positive experience for me. I am not the most experienced athlete on the circuit but I do know that this experience will shape the preparation needed to become Ironman World Champion at Kona this October.
Ironman Florida 70.3
New race kit provided by Zoot
After coming off a nutrition catastrophe at St. Anthony’s two weeks ago, I was eager and determined to get back on track with a good performance at the Rhoto Ironman Florida 70.3. This race was on Wilderness campgrounds at Walt Disney World which called for a nice swim in fresh water of Bay Lake and running on the trails around the resort. With the exception of entering the SOMA triathlon two years ago as a tune up to IMAZ, this was the first 70.3 distance race I’ve entered in almost two years. This was a great opportunity to attain substantial growth in a journey to be crowned Ironman World Champion in October. The training leading into the event all favored some pretty good splits and I was excited to see how I would measure up on the day and set a benchmark for all three disciplines the remainder of the season.
Swim: 33min
The swim start was no problem…I actually broke away from many of the guys in the group and there were also some that fled my ability to swim at such a fast rate. It turns out; I had some decent space to swim for no more than 5minutes when I started to hit age groupers in green, purple, blue and white caps. It was ridiculous how many people you had to maneuver around, but everyone swam in similar conditions. I think I may have gone off course just a bit…but nothing crazy that I think would have impacted my time significantly. I was swimming long smooth strokes and concentrated on keeping the heart rate down. I feel like I accomplished this all while swimming a less than impressive time. I definitely expected a much faster swim, somewhere around 30minutes. At the end of the day – I need to get faster. Very simple and this development is an on-going process that will happen. I know that a 55 min swim at Kona will require some serious re-tooling and time in the water. I feel like I’m stronger swimmer today than last year. Going into T1 I had some good legs to move through transition and hop on my bike and begin the second leg of the race.
Bike: 2hr 23min
On the bike, there was crazy traffic coming out of T1 and was pretty difficult to get going for the first couple miles. Some quick, sharp turns and slippery roads from the rain that morning called for extra attention and caution. The legs felt pretty good and found some guys on the course to help set the pace. With this talent around me, I didn’t think when my computer failed after 20minutes on the bike there would be much harm done to my overall split on the bike. I simply had to go off feel the entire time. About 20miles into the bike I tactically made a bad move, letting one rider go ahead of me in which I decided to hold steady and conserve. While it would prove to be a good decision, passing him on the run, I think it may have been better from a pacing standpoint because it turns out the other guys which I thought were riding good speeds, could not sustain it and I eventually found myself riding on my own, passing people the entire time. I was basically in my normal situation, get rocked on the swim, start passing people on the bike and run by everyone to finish the race. A situation I come too familiar with, but it’s reality and there is never one proven method to becoming an Ironman World Champion.
Overall, the nutrition was good, I would have taken in one more bottle of fluids on the bike (if I could do it over) but I took down 4 bottles of fluids (1 gatorade, 3 water), one powerbar and a ½ granola bar. Going into T2 the legs were turning over pretty good and felt like I was ready run.
Run: 1hr 25min
Starting the run, I felt pretty good and the legs were fine. I started to get a slight cramp on the right side, and probably due to the 5:50 first mile I decided to run. Wouldn’t recommend going too fast from the start as I have learned this lesson in previous races and with a new season on tap, it’s nice to get re-acquainted with this error, correct it and be consistent from this point forward and throughout the rest of the season. I made an effort to back off in mile 2 and 3 to get my legs under me focus on the 6:20 pace I expected to set throughout the run. By mile 4 and 5 I backed to the 6:20/mile pace and was getting my legs under me, controlling my breathing and keeping some in the tank for the last 5k. I was feeling pretty hot at the time, the core was heating up and I could tell my legs were having a more difficult time picking up when running through the grass area. I can recall many time during the run, the mind telling me to stop…I hadn’t felt this in a long time and was good to face this adversity early in the season and test how far I can push the body. I took fluids at most of the stations. In hindsight, I would pack a bottle of fluids in my T2 bag to start the run. I could use some extra fluids and completely forgot I had done this in previous races. On to mile 10-13 where I felt I was struggling – my mind was going and I can’t comprehend how I was picking up my legs. All I wanted to do was keep chasing people down and like the bike, I wasn’t getting passed and on the run same applied. I would not be satisfied finishing less than first place. My legs were especially cramping in the last two miles, a similar feeling in IM Louisville, where my mind started going, the body began to shut down and legs were cramping. I knew I had to keep running a fast as possible to avoid more cramping but close the gap on anyone in front of me. Mile 12 was the worse of them all and dehydration was definitely creeping in. However, if I knew if I were to stop – I would have been done and the belief was I was in position to win the group. I cramped going over the finishing line and needed a many bottles of water and some Powerade perform drink to cool core body temperature down and get the recovery process started.
I wouldn’t say I had the best race and definitely did not meet expectations regardless, I finished third in the M25-29 age group and in the top 40 overall. I look at it like a tournament format (NBA playoffs, March Madness etc…) – Even if it you were not at your best or had multiple obstacles to overcome; the goal is to advance to the next round and be the last team standing. That’s exactly what I did, I executed, I believed, ran hard and didn’t get drawn away from the goal – WIN and go to the Ironman World Championships 70.3 in Las Vegas on September 11, 2011. That was it and I had to keep the mindset throughout. I found a way to advance in the tourney and race again when the stakes are higher and a great race to prepare for Kona.
Zoot ULTRA Team 2011
My sister and I at IM Louisville
On Wednesday, January 5, 2011 I was notified by Jake Jansen of Zoot Sports that I had been selected to the Zoot ULTRA Team 2011. When the team is fully assembled, there will be 10 professional and 25 amateur athletes selected to this team. It’s a big honor for me and I appreciate the support from Zoot, the Zoot ULTRA Team 2011 team sponsors and the confidence they have in me to simply get results throughout the year. This selection has impacted my initial financial outlay for purchasing a new bike, equipment, nutrition and many other accessories that every triathlete needs during the season.
After five very successful seasons, Zoot’s goal is to continue to build one of the finest groups of athletes/brand ambassadors in the sport. For those of you who are not aware of Zoot Sports, they are the #1 brand in Kona and arguably in the sport of triathlon. As the title sponsor of the team, I am required to race and train in Zoot apparel, wetsuits and footwear. The ULTRA apparel, CompressRX and Footwear is simply the best head to toe coverage in the triathlon world. The sublimated custom Zoot tri kit, Zoot ULTRA 4.0 Footwear and the Zoot PROPHET wetsuit will be my race uniform. I will also be given a Zoot sublimated cycle kit to train in as well as a package of Zoot casual gear.
The team will likely welcome GARMIN as the timing sponsor and I will be awarded a watch and ALCiS will be our sports cream sponsor for all muscle and joint pain relief. The team is also delighted to announce that GU energy gel and GU20 Sports Drink will once again return for 2011. In addition, Fuel Belt will also be on board to provide us with the latest in hydration belts and accessories.
Like Zoot, all of the sponsors are #1 in the triathlon industry and excited to be working with such a driven and accomplished group of athletes.
Regarding bikes, the team was thrilled to announce RIDLEY as the new sponsor for 2011 and beyond. As an ULTRA Team member I will be required to race a RIDLEY bicycle. It’s pretty cool, the entire team will be on a custom blue and white Ridley. For the third year in a row, Zipp Speed Weaponry, the leader in race day wheels will be our wheel sponsor and I will once again be required to race on Zipp wheels.
As if this wasn’t enough, there will be a Zoot Team CAMP around the CA 70.3 Oceanside race. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2011 season.
Sponsors for the 2011 Zoot ULTRA Team 2011: Zoot Sports, Ridley Bikes, Garmin, Zipp Speed Weaponry, GU Energy gel, Fuel Belt and ALCiS
